


Photographs: One-shots

by Cerridwen



Category: Star Trek Into Darkness - Fandom, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: AU, Angst, Dragon-Mages, Fantasy, Gen, Magic, Magical Realism, One-Shots, Rating May Change, Section 31, Star Trek Into Darkness Kink Meme Fill, dragon - Freeform, mentions of forced human experimentation, not-betaed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2018-05-30
Packaged: 2018-12-30 21:14:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12117363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cerridwen/pseuds/Cerridwen
Summary: These are one shots, short fills or clips of stories. They are not complete. Some I might continue on and write into complet stories, some I might not.  I'm posting these here because I'm dying for some Khan and Kirk interaction and AO3 has been in rather short supply of that lately. All of these here will be Khan/Kirk to some degree or other. I'll update as I have things to post.





	1. Dragon-Mages

**Author's Note:**

> This is not a complete story. It is just a short segment piece that I wrote for one of the prompts on the Star Trek Into Darkness Kink Meme: http://strek-id-kink.livejournal.com/2836.html?thread=1694484#t1694484
> 
> Khan and his people are mages and dragon shape-shifters. 
> 
> Centuries ago Magic and Science flourished equally on Earth. But then there was a war waged with Demons from another dimension who were trying to come through to conquer this universe. Khan and the Dragon Shifters were bred by human mages to fight the demons. The human mages didn't want their slaves rebelling so they bred it into them that they had to bond to a human, "By Blood, by Body and by Magic". 
> 
> But after the war was won and the Demons banished back to their own Universe the mages were still afraid of Khan and his people and so another war broke out. Many of the Dragon shifters human bond-mates sided with their mates but still many more sided with the human mages and betrayed the bond. Khan and his people were condemned into a frozen sleep and cast out into the stars where the mages presumed they would be lost forever.
> 
> Back on Earth the non-magic humans, having gone through two terrible wars, one after the other blamed all magic users for the devastation the wars had caused. They rose up and killed all the mages in their turn. Magic was utterly outlawed and the human race turned solely to science for answers to their problems. The Federation forms. Marcus discovers Khan and the others frozen in the magical ice. The power that magic and science combined intoxicates him. He forces Khan to build magically enhanced weapons for him. But the knowledge that you have to be born to magic to be able to wield it infuriates him. So to does the knowledge that only a mage-born can bond to a dragon-shifter. He made many attempts to force Khan to bond to him before he finally accepted that he could not. It was only the knowledge that Khan would turn on him that kept him from trying to bond to others of Khan's people.
> 
> Meanwhile back on Earth, a young man, already tested by the fires of famine and war rises to the rank of Starfleet Captain and is given command of the Enterprise. A young man, although he doesn't know it, has the blood of mages running dormant through his veins.
> 
> Bonus round (if the author wants): Deep within a crevasse of the Earth, a gate thought long sealed and forgotten begins to crack. Behind it an ancient evil stirs . . .

Revelation

“One more condition,” now Khan spoke up and as all eyes turned to him, they saw he was looking at Jim Kirk.

“Captain Kirk must remain with my people in order to complete his training, anywhere from four to five standard years.” An outbreak of confusing babble from the Starfleet portion of the Federation delegation was the result of this statement. Not surprising the overall message was “No!” and the loudest voices raised were from the Enterprise crew.

When silence had descended and calm restored the Federation ambassador to the Lughhovians spoke up. “This is an unusual demand Mr. Singh. One that does raise some concerns for us given your personal history with Captain Kirk. What are your intentions towards him?”

“Also, what training?” Kirk demanded.

The glare Khan directed at Kirk was so withering in its impatience and disgust that quite a few members of the delegation flinched.

“While I quite admit to the fully justified anger and contempt I have for your Starfleet, I am not so cruel or dishonourable as to allow an untrained mage to run amuck within your Federation.”

“Mage!”

Speaking up to be heard over the buzz that Khan’s declaration had stirred, Mr. Spock leaned forward. “Mr. Singh, I must ask you to be logical. All of Earth’s so-called Mage-born were destroyed during the last of their Mage-Wars.”

Khan nodded. “Indeed, I must commend your Terran ancestors on their thoroughness by which they eliminated all they suspected of carrying the power of Magery. By all accounts they spared none, down to the youngest, killing even those sheltered in their mother’s wombs.” Khan’s dark voice held an even deeper rumble and for a moment his eyes glowed as the dragon stirred within him.

“Bet you approve of that.” McCoy muttered.

Khan’s eyes flashed to his. “Does it amuse me that my enemies were taken down by the very people they so long under-estimated and scorned? Yes. Do I approve of the whole-sale slaughter of the innocent, especially infants? No, as you have cause to know Doctor.”

McCoy flushed at the pointed reminder that Khan had saved his daughter’s life.

Khan turned back to Kirk. “Despite your ancestors’ determination, not even the most fanatical of the normal blooded humans could eliminate the mage potential from the human race. How could they when it is inherently a part of humanity, coded into their very DNA? The difference between a normal and a mage lies only in whether the power is alive and awake within them or merely slumbers in potential. You, like all humans Kirk, carried the mage power in potential. But thanks to your Doctor’s rash attempt at playing god in order to save you, that power has been awakened.”

“Bullshit.” Kirk scoffed.

“Very well Captain.” Khan rose to his feet and with a seemingly negligent wave of his hand the long table between the two parties vanished. “Since your mind has been so repeatedly denying all the signs your own body has shown these past weeks I shall give you the evidence that you demand. The final incontrovertible proof that your body and life are forever altered.” Khan’s voice seemed to soften ever so slightly and for a moment there almost seemed to be a trace of pity in his icy gaze.

As he spoke Khan’s fingers were tracing small patterns in the air. Pale glowing lines of light trailed after them, forming runes of power. With a flick of his fingers those runes flew out to surround both Jim and Khan. Power flowed from the runes to enclose the two men in sheltered wards, blocking all interference from without and ensuring no magic escaped.

Jim felt a chill of atavistic fear crawl up his spine. For centuries Magery had been held to be a horror story from humanity’s history, a nightmare from a less enlightened past.

“What the hell, Khan! What do you think you’re doing?” Jim demanded. As his fear turned to anger he stalked towards Khan, fists clenched.

Khan stood still and unfazed by Kirk’s anger, a small smirk curling the lips of his mouth.

“It is quite simple Kirk. I’m forcing you to face the truth. If our past experiences have proven anything it is that subtlety is wasted on you. The only way to get you to accept a reality that you wish to deny is to rub your face in the evidence of it to such a degree that even you can no longer deny the truth of it.” So saying Khan raised his hand and fired a small Levin bolt at Jim’s chest. Kirk let out a yelp of pain as it drove him back a few steps.

Again and again the Levin bolts came, not strong enough to do any serious damage or permanent harm but enough to sting, enough to humiliate, enough to enrage. No matter how much Kirk ducked and dodged, the swarm of bolts found him. And behind the barrage of magic was Khan’s voice, taunting, mocking.

“Come now Kirk. Surely you can do better than this. Where is all that righteous anger you showed on Qo’nos? Or perhaps the only way you can defeat your opponent is when they’re unarmed and not fighting back?”

Kirk hissed in pain, not only because the side of his head had been clipped by a bolt which hurt dammit, but also at the memory of his beating Khan when he had surrendered on Qo’nos. Immediately after that came the memory of why he had done so. The image of his mentor and surrogate father, Christopher Pike lying dead in the Daystrom Conference room burned through his mind and deep within him another fire stirred, born of pain and anger and loss.

Kirk glared at Khan who paused for a moment to gauge his opponent’s reaction. Across the short distance between them their eyes locked and Khan’s smirk grew at the sight of those blue eyes glowing now with more than just anger. There were tiny sparks flickering within the blue irises and at the very centre of his pupils a spark of light was beginning to grow.

_Almost there_ , Khan calculated to himself. _He just needs a little more to push him over the edge_.

With a quick movement of his hands Khan launched another swarm of tiny Levin bolts at Kirk.

“Look at you Kirk. Still so inferior and weak, unable to even protect yourself let alone those you claim as your own. What was the name of that friend you said you came all the way to Qo’nos to avenge? Pike?” There was a vicious edge to Khan’s voice as his words slid like a knife into Kirk’s heart.

“You couldn’t avenge him anymore than you could protect your crew from Marcus."

“Damn you!” Kirk roared and his pain and rage exploded. Literally. Twin flames, bright electric blue with a white hot core leapt from his eyes. They raced down his arms, coiling as they went. Acting instinctively Kirk flung out his arms and the two fire whips lashed through the air toward Khan. All around him the air itself spontaneously combusted, fire roaring up to envelope him. More fires sprang up and raced away towards the other people in the room. They were only stopped by the wards Khan had previously erected.

Khan was already moving the moment the fires left Jim’s eyes. As the fire whips cracked harmlessly against Khan’s swiftly raised shield he summoned water as well as the bitterest artic cold. With a great creaking groan a huge sheet of ice wrapped around Kirk to smother the flames. The sound of the deep groan made by the ice physically shuddered the bones of all those listening beyond Khan’s wards, held back from interfering by his power. But the deafening crack that resounded when fire met ice drove the listeners to their knees. Boiling steam and dense fog billowed up, filling the entire area enclosed by the wards and making it impenetrable to sight.

“Jim!” Bones screamed. The moment the wards had gone up the Enterprise crew had rushed the barrier and tried to break it down. Nothing they did worked. Bones cursed the Lughhovians for insisting on no weapons. They had all been fools to trust them and to think for a moment that Khan wouldn’t betray them.

“Stop!” a deep female voice cut through all sound. The Lughhovian Queen stepped forward. Dressed in robes of icy blue and her long blond hair pulled back and held by chains of gold, she strode forward and stopped beside the Enterprise crew. “Your Captain is not harmed nor has Khan violated the terms of the Peace talks.” She declared.

“What?! Lady, are you out of your water logged mind?! What the hell do you call this?” Bones demanded, gesturing at the warded area still covered in dense fog.

“Do you not recall Dr. McCoy, that part of that agreement was that Captain Singh or any of his crew had the responsibility to defend us all from any magic threat or danger? As this recent demonstration has proven, Captain Kirk does indeed present an unwitting danger to us all. An untrained mage who cannot control his power is a grave danger to everyone.” the Queen said.

“It was Khan who intentionally goaded this reaction in our Captain. Logically he is the one who must bear responsibility for the threat to all and to the harm done to our Captain.” Spock said. Buried underneath the ice-cold logic that Spock held dear his fear and anger were barely concealed.

“There is no danger or harm done Mr. Spock nor will there be thanks to Captain Singh’s actions. Look and see for yourself.” The Queen declared and gestured towards the warded area.

As they all turned and looked they saw that the fog was swiftly dispersing, being drawn apart by winds that were moving at Khan’s command. Lying in the centre in a puddle of ice water was James Kirk. As they watched he started to slowly push himself up. His clothes were shredded and hanging off him in rags.

Khan walked slowly towards him. The sound of his boots on stone and water echoed loudly in the sudden silence. When he reached Jim Khan reached down and offered his hand to him. He wasn’t surprised when Kirk slapped it away with a growl.

Khan ignored Kirk’s ire and seized his wrist, using it to yank him to his feet. In the same movement he used his grip on Kirk’s arm to twist it up behind his back. Sliding his hand up Kirk’s chest he gripped him firmly around the throat, holding him immobile. Neither grip held him hard enough to actually hurt, just hard enough to hold him on pain’s threshold for the warning to be clear.

Tilting his head slightly Khan spoke directly into Kirk’s ear so there was no escaping his voice. “Look around you Kirk. Look at what you did in one moment of anger and pain. Imagine what would have happened if I had not warded us first. You would have burnt alive every single person here, including those of your own crew. Even those you hold most dear would have died at your uncontrolled power.”

“No! No!” Jim gasped, trying to shake his head still held firmly within Khan’s grasp, trying to deny the terrifying truth that he couldn’t escape. It felt as though the ice Khan had summoned had crawled inside him.

“You . . .” Kirk started to say but Khan cut him off ruthlessly.

“No Kirk. You did this. I warded the area. I summoned the ice to smother your flame but the fire came from you.” He glanced over at Joaquin, his second, who stood waiting by the view screens on the wall. Khan nodded and Joaquin activated the recording that Khan had arranged of the incident.

Khan’s hands were hard as steel as he forced Kirk to watch the events unfold. His voice was velvet-dark and utterly merciless. “That is what you did Kirk. I goaded you, yes. But the fire-storm was born from you. What will happen if you unleash something like this on the bridge of the Enterprise? All it would take would be one moment of desperation or anger, one unthinking action in the face of danger for you to lose everything.”

Kirk closed his eyes in defeat, shuddering at the very notion. “You’ve made your point.” He said quietly.

Khan released him and stepped back. Jim turned to face him. For a moment the two men just looked at each other.

“Five years huh?” Jim asked quietly and then smirked at Khan. “I’ll do it in four.”

Khan lifted an eyebrow at him in challenge. “Indeed. I look forward to your departure Captain.”

He turned away and with a small, silent gesture banished the wards.

The Enterprise crew immediately rushed to their Captain. Bones had his tricorder out and was scanning Kirk before he had even stopped moving.

After ascertaining that his Captain and friend was (relatively) unharmed Spock stepped away.

“Khan.” Spock’s voice was loud and challenging, drawing everyone’s attention. “Your actions here have endangered the lives all present and are a violation of the accords of the peace conference. If you had been unable to contain the Captain’s power – “

“Unable Mr. Spock?” Khan interrupted him.

“How quickly you forget all of Earth’s history that you’ve previously quoted to me. Your Captain may be a fire mage but I . . . I am Dragon.” At this last word Khan let a hint of his power seep through into his voice. For just a moment all the people in the room felt as though their lungs could not grasp enough air and the blood in their veins had turned to lightening.

“One mage, especially an untrained one would no more present a threat to any of my people than an unarmed child would you.”


	2. The Board is set

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirk has discovered some disturbing new information about Khan's time imprisoned by Section 31. Now as everything he thought he knew about the dark-haired warrior who had been his greatest enemy is called into doubt he finds himself wondering if he ever knew the truth about Khan at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not part of my first one shot about the dragon-mages. As I said this is a series of one-shots, snapshots of larger stories if you will.  
> This and the two other snapshots I'm working on can be considered connected in that they are loosely based on the KHAN Graphic novel release by IDW that refers to Khan's trial. The two parts will be posted I just need to type them up and review them.  
> None of these snapshots have been beta-read so any mistakes are mine

The Board is set 

 

_Captain’s log, Stardate 2264.17. We are on our way out of the Leitivan system, having arrived there seven days prior on a diplomatic mission to initiate First Contact with the Leithians and extend to them the invitation of joining the Federation._

_I regret to have to report that in this case we met with failure. It seems that the Leithians have not only been aware of the Federation for years but have been what they described as observing and studying us. They have insisted that they have observed us only as it is against their laws to interfere in the actions of sentient beings outside of their own territories unless those beings contact or attack them first._

_However, it is on the basis of their observations of us that they have rejected the Federation’s overtures of membership and have banned all Federation vessels from entering their space. The reason that they have given for this is that they have judged the Federation and Starfleet as having committed a grave injustice and crime against another sentient race, the race of augmented humans, specifically Khan Noonien Singh and his crew._

_I have to admit that my initial reaction might have been viewed as a bit undiplomatic but given the extremely high numbers of innocent people that Khan killed including Admiral Pike I consider in understandable._

_However, the recordings showed to us by the Leithians are extremely troubling and have raised questions in my mind regarding what really happened with Khan._

 

* * *

 

 Kirk stood motionless in front of the computer screen in his ready room. Over and over again the schematics and damage reports from the Vengeance’s attack on the Enterprise played out. And over and over again the same conclusion was reached.

“Analysis Mr. Spock.” He spoke quietly but behind his back his hands clenched into fists.

“The facts are unmistakeable Captain. The only areas of the Enterprise that were struck during Khan’s attack were the warp core and engineering sections. Even discounting the evidence from the Vengeance’s computers and relying solely on the data from the Enterprise’s logs the only logical conclusion that can be reached is that Khan was firing to cripple the Enterprise when he attacked.” Spock’s voice was as calm as always but Jim knew him well enough by now to hear the inner conflict that lay underneath Spock’s words.

Abruptly Kirk swung away and stalked over to the window that looked out into space. Blindly he stared at the stars while inside his mind everything shifted and crumbled around him. Everything he thought he knew about Khan was thrown into doubt.

It had been so simple before, so easy. Khan was a monster, a mass murderer and Pike’s killer. While he had known on an abstract level that Khan had been trying to rescue his crew and that Marcus had held them hostage it hadn’t really affected his view of the man. Khan’s crew hadn’t been real people to him, people with names and emotions and lives of their own. He had forgotten until now just how much Khan had loved his crew. He hadn’t once even considered the idea that Khan had been desperate. He had always acted so sure of himself, so arrogant, manipulating Kirk and those around him to his own ends. He had never once shown any fear or vulnerability.

Then icy stillness settled the fire in Kirk for a moment as the memory surfaced in his mind of his and Spock’s interrogation in the brig. When he had yelled at Khan, calling him a murderer Khan had turned away, turned his back but not before a grimace had passed over his face. At the time Kirk had thought it frustration and anger. But that was before he had watched the recordings from the brig. Khan had turned away to hide his tears.

There was a strong part of Kirk that shouted that this still didn’t justify what Khan had done, all the lives he had taken.

But when that voice started clamoring another memory kept rising up. The memory of the Enterprise going down under Krall’s swarm ships and the sight of his own crew being taken prisoner.

Looking back, he could understand now the desperation that Khan must have felt as well as the unrelenting determination to get them back by any means necessary. As desperate as he had been to rescue his own crew, how much worse had it been for Khan, held prisoner by Marcus? At least Kirk had been free to try and rescue them and his crew hadn’t been helpless in cryostasis. He knew that as long as his crew were alive they were the match for anyone they went up against.

He had always laughed when people called him a hero because none of them saw that it was his crew who were the real heroes, that they were the ones who made everything he did possible. They were his greatest strength.

But Khan . . . pain washed through Kirk as his thoughts turned once again to the dark-haired warrior who had been his greatest enemy.

Looking back over everything that he had learned during the past few days he had to admit that he could understand how Khan had been driven in pain and anguish to do what he had done, even the attack on the Daystrom . . . and here’s where Kirk’s mind always came to a screeching halt. No matter how much his mind understood what Khan had done, his heart couldn’t forgive him for Pike. How could he? Pike had been the closest thing to a father Jim had ever known. Whenever he thought of that attack on the Daystrom all he could see in his mind’s eye was Pike’s lifeless corpse. A very large part of him didn’t care what Khan had suffered when weighed against Pike’s life. Pike had been innocent! Nothing that Marcus had done to Khan’s crew justified or exonerated him killing Pike!

_But then_ . . . a voice whispered in his mind, _what of the things that you’ve done?_ Kirk winced as a memory he had previously pushed away and denied resurfaced in his mind.

Once again in his mind’s eye he stood on the bridge of the Vengeance and nodded at Scotty to stun Khan.

When he had first given the order to Scotty it had seemed obvious that Khan would betray them as soon as the bridge was taken. It was the only thing that made sense. They weren’t allies after all, but enemies who simply needed each other to survive. As soon as the need was gone the truce between them would be gone as well and Khan had shown how treacherous he was when he fired on unarmed Starfleet officers at the Daystrom. He couldn’t be trusted.

When he had nodded at Scotty Khan had been directly behind him. Kirk couldn’t see him, couldn’t see what he was doing, all he could see was Scotty shooting directly behind him to take out Khan. But the more he thought about it the more a thought nagged at him.

“Mr. Spock. Access the video feed from the bridge of the Vengeance.” Kirk requested quietly, turning back to the viewscreen.

“Yes Captain.” Spock stepped up to the monitor and tapped in a few commands.

Once again Kirk watched the events unfold before reaching out to the console to pause the recording just as Scotty fired on Khan.

And there Khan stood directly behind him. Kirk watched as Khan looked between him and Carol, not doing anything, hesitating. But his phaser wasn’t pointing at him or Marcus or even Scotty. It was pointed at Carol. The he saw himself nod at Scotty.

Once again Kirk squeezed his eyes shut as everything shifted. It didn’t make any sense! Khan knew that Kirk wasn’t going to let him go, knew that he wouldn’t allow him to kill Marcus. There was no reason for him not to attack first but he hadn’t.

“Jim.” Bones had stepped quietly to his side. “You need to give this a rest. You’ve been worrying at this for days.”

“I need answers Bones, because none of this fits. It doesn’t fit what I know about him.” Kirk complained.

“We don’t have all the pieces of the puzzle. All we’ve got are recordings. They could be wrong or falsified.” Bones pointed out.

“Your hypothesis is inaccurate Doctor.” Spock stated. “We do have some confirmed facts that are indisputable.”

“Well then, enlighten me Spock.” was McCoy’s sarcastic response.

“We can be certain that Khan did not target the Enterprise’s life support or main command bridge during his attack as neither of these sections received any damage. Given the advanced tactical ability and superior firepower of the Vengeance coupled with Khan’s innate knowledge of it, his noted superior intelligence and combat experience from the Eugenics War the likelihood that he failed to hit his intended target is 3.72 percent. This presents a compelling testimony on Khan’s behalf.”

“Well aren’t you suddenly singing a different tune about him Spock.” McCoy snapped. “Tell me, since when did you suddenly become his supporter?”

“I do not support his actions Doctor. I merely state the logical conclusion of the facts presented.” Spock’s calm rejoinder held a steely undertone to it. McCoy always did have a way of getting under his skin.

“You’re both right.” Kirk interrupted. “The evidence we have does contradict what we thought we knew about him but it’s incomplete.”

Kirk turned away from the screen to face his two top officers. “There’s only one man who can give us a definite answer and that’s who we’re going to question. We’re going to have find Khan.”

“What?! Has staring at those screens completely fried your brains? Khan’s been condemned to indefinite cryostasis remember? He and his crew have been locked away in a top-secret storage facility. Starfleet Command isn’t just going to let you wake him up just to ask him a few questions!” Bones argued. He could feel his blood pressure rising and his heart sinking. He knew that look in Jim’s eyes; absolute determination and resolution. When Jim looked like that nothing was going to stop him.

“I must concur with the Doctor’s assessment Captain. Despite the evidence presented, Khan did kill thousands of innocent people in San Francisco and London and reviving him constitutes a serious risk to the Federation.” Spock said.

“I’m not going to release him. I’m just going to talk to him. We held him for over a year leading up to his trial, so long as we take proper precautions it’ll be safe.”

“And what makes you think Khan will be willing to talk to you Jim?” demanded McCoy. “He wasn’t exactly forth coming with all this during his trial. If he wanted you to know this why didn’t he say something then?”

“Doctor McCoy does have yet another a point Captain. Khan has manipulated you in the past and has proven quite skillful at games of deception. It is most likely that he will try again.” said Spock.

Kirk just smiled at his two best friends. “That’s why we’re gong to turn the tables on him right from the start. We’re going to offer him the one thing he wants more than his own freedom, then he wants more than his own life: Freedom for his crew.”

“What?!” Bones squawked. “Now I know you’ve lost your computer fried brains! You want to free Khan’s crew after what he did? Do I need to remind you just how many people he killed in San Francisco, almost 2000! He killed you, whether he meant to or not, he killed Pike and you want to just let them go?!”

“The Doctor is correct in his assessment Captain.” Spock agreed. “I calculate the odds that Starfleet Command will agree to your proposal to be less than one percent.”

“It doesn’t bother either of you that Khan’s crew were sentenced along with him without trial, when they hadn’t even done anything?” Kirk asked.

Both Spock and Bones paused for a moment and even Spock looked uncomfortable.

“What else could we do Jim? We couldn’t just let them go, it was too dangerous. They would have tried to rescue Khan at the least, attacked the Federation or Starfleet at the worst. You know that!” Bones protested even as guilt and shame squirmed inside him.

“We don’t know that because we never gave them a chance Bones!” Jim protested. “We just condemned them without trial because we couldn’t think of what else to do.”

Jim paused and thought back over those events and Khan’s trial, thought back over all those things that in his anger at the time he had either dismissed out of hand or had chosen to ignore. But now they were gnawing at him. Watching those recordings had reminded him that he had promised Khan that he would keep his crew safe. Yes, he had died saving Khan’s crew when the Enterprise had gone down but after that . . . sentencing Khan to indefinite cryostasis was a death sentence by any other name, not just for him but for his entire crew as well.

Jim turned back to look McCoy in the eyes. “Tell me Bones. Do you honestly think that we did the right thing with Khan’s crew or did we just do what was easy?”

For a moment Bones stood there speechless unable to think of an answer. “Alright, you’ve got a point there Jim. But it still doesn’t change the facts. They’re still Khan’s crew and if they’re half as loyal to him as his is to them then they’ll never stop until he’s free.”

Jim stood silent for few moments as he ran these facts over in his mind. As unpalatable as he found them he also couldn’t deny them. Khan’s loyalty to his crew was staggering and even when he had been consumed by hatred for him he had still couldn’t help but admire Khan for that.

“So, we need to give them a reason not too. We need to tie them to us and to the Federation.” Kirk said. He was still looking mostly inside his mind, thoughts and ideas churning over rapidly.

Bones’ voice, laced with exasperation and frustration pulled him from his thoughts. “Just how do you propose we do that?”

Kirk looked up and grinned. “That’s simple. We get Khan on our side.”

For a moment Spock and Bones just stood there stunned. Kirk waited for the inevitable explosion.

“Captain.”

“Jim!”

Kirk had to grin at the anticipated synchrony.

“Just how the hell do you plan on doing that?” demanded Bones.

“Khan’s hatred of Starfleet is profound Captain. Given the fact that the last attempt you made to ally with Khan ended disastrously for both of you I calculate there is a 0.476 percent chance that he would agree now.” Spock said.

“I’m betting that he loves his crew more than he hates me or Starfleet. If it meant a chance at life and freedom for his crew I think Khan would do just about anything.” Kirk said.

“Okay, I’ll agree with you there.” Bones broke in. “But it still doesn’t change the main problem. Neither Starfleet Command nor the Federation Council are going to let you release Khan or any of his crew.”

“First things first.” Kirk wasn’t about to let minor things like bureaucracies and politicians get in his way. He focused his gaze on his two best friends. The first thing he had to do was get them onboard with this because he couldn’t do this on his own. He understood their concern, their anger at Khan. He shared it. That was why he had to find out the truth about Khan. What they had uncovered so far painted such a very different picture from the enemy Kirk hated that he couldn’t reconcile them. And if he had been wrong about this much with Khan what else had he been wrong about.

“We need to find out what really happened when Marcus woke Khan up. That’s where all this began and we don’t need to wake Khan up for that. If we can find out the truth about Section 31 we’ll have a starting point.” Kirk’s eyes blazed and he felt a grin curling his mouth. He had always loved a good challenge and now at least he had a clear enemy in front of him that he could target.

“Most of Starfleet’s files regarding Section 31 have been classified.” Spock walked back over to the computer station and called up a search of those files. “They are restricted to Admiral level clearance only.”

Jim walked over to stand beside Spock and looked at the files Spock indicated.

“Why would Starfleet Command classify those files?” Bones asked. “Everyone knows what happened. Khan told us at his trial.”

“Did he?” Kirk asked, but most of his attention was still focused on the computer screen.

Bones and Spock looked at each other then looked back at Jim. Kirk looked up at them and shook his head. “There was a lot of Khan’s story that never felt right to me. Too many things didn’t add up.”

“As I recall at the time Captain, you described Khan’s recounting of his past as being self-serving, stating that Khan was in fact merely writing himself in as the hero of his own story.” Spock’s eyebrow rose in both question and challenge.

“I think parts of that may still hold true. At least about his past. It’s the parts about his time with Marcus that’s got me thinking now.” Kirk said.

Bones made a humming sound in agreement. “He’s got a point there Spock. Khan said that he’d been brainwashed but that kind of tampering with a person’s brain?” Bones shook his head. “It’s not only illegal it’s incredibly dangerous. A person’s brain just isn’t meant to be wiped like that, causes more harm and problems then it solves.”

“Exactly what kind of mental damage does it cause Doctor?” Spock asked.

“Turns out that wiping the memories doesn’t cure the PTSD like it was supposed to, it only added more trauma because having a gaping hole in their memories turned out to be as bad for the patients as the original trauma. Then there’s how those memories are erased. Dr. Tristan Adams on the Tantalus Penal Colony we visited 6 months ago was essentially trying to do the exact same thing to his victims with his neural neutralizer that Marcus was trying to do to Khan.” Bones said.

Jim felt the blood drain from his face as he remembered Adams putting him under that neural neutralizer, the aching pain of being alone in his mind without even a tormentor for company. He looked at Bones.

“I remember.” He said. “Many of his patients went mad under that thing. Adams died being trapped alone with it on.” But then he thought again and shook his head. “But I don’t buy that about Khan. Khan wasn’t traumatized, he was angry. He was out for blood and he got it.”

“Sometimes that’s how trauma manifests itself Jim. As a pot boiling under pressure until it explodes.” Bones said with a shrug.

Kirk grimaced. “Maybe. But it doesn’t feel right. Everything Khan did was for his crew. He said so himself. He said he didn’t go after Marcus until after he thought he’d gotten them to safety. That’s not the actions of a man too traumatized to think straight.”

“I’ll grant you that.” Bones agreed. “But that still leaves the question of what did happen. If he wasn’t brainwashed how did Marcus get Khan to cooperate?”

The three men just stood there and looked at each other, none of them willing to speak the thoughts that rose in their minds.

Abruptly Spock turned to Kirk and said “In light of these facts I find myself in agreement with you Captain. There clearly has been information that has been concealed from us. Since it is dangerous to speculate with insufficient facts it is only logical that we seek this information ourselves.”

Bones groaned at the two men who turned to look at him and shook his head in resignation. “Alright, I’m in. Somebody’s got to keep you two dragon-slayers from becoming barbeque on this insane quest of your.” He said, glaring at both of them.

Kirk just grinned. “Like you don’t want to slay a few dragons of your own Bones.” He teased.

“It is highly improbable that we will be facing any mythological creatures nor do I see why you deem this a ‘quest’ Doctor.” Spock said. Clasping his hands behind his back he turned to face McCoy. “We are simply seeking additional information in regards to certain discrepancies regarding what we have been informed about Khan Noonien Singh. This hardly qualifies for the title of “quest”.

Bones snorted and looked between him and Kirk. “Sure, it doesn’t Spock. We’re just going to be taking on most of Starfleet Command and hacking into some of their most secure databases to uncover classified files.” He looked squarely at Kirk. “You know Jim, if we’re caught there are a lot of people, especially in Starfleet Command who are probably going to call this treason.” He said seriously.

Kirk nodded. “That’s why I want to keep it just between the three of us for now. I don’t want the others involved. Not until we’re on more solid ground.

“What if we don’t find what you’re looking for? What if everything we thought about Khan up ‘til now is the truth Jim?” Bones asked.

Kirk cocked his head at him and smiled slightly. “Then I’ll have been right about him and I can let all of this go. But I doubt that. There’s too many unanswered questions Bones. And I can’t let this go. Not now, not anymore.”

Bones sighed. “Me neither. Just wanted to be sure we’re all on the same page here. Where do we get started?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on tumblr at: khantoelessar.tumblr.com


	3. The Pieces are Moving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the darkness and the stillness Khan waited. But when he awakes is he surrounded by friends or enemies? And where is his crew, his family?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of a series of incomplete snapshots. Un-beta read, all mistakes are mine.

The Pieces are Moving

 

There was only darkness and warmth. In the stillness and the quiet he floated. His mind, usually restless even in sleep had sunk so deeply into unconsciousness that even it had finally stilled save only for the necessary rhythms to sustain life.

He had no recollection of time, no way to measure it if he did. Faintly, just beyond the grasp of his mind there were echoes of pain and loss but the darkness was a shield between them and him.

He didn’t know when the sound first registered. Deep and rhythmic, a single steady beat that pulsed in his blood. That sound anchored him, there in the endless darkness. Where before there had been nothing, now there was this sound.

But should there not be more? Dimly as though it were no more than a faint recollection of a dream, he knew that there had been more, that there must be more.

In his mind he turned towards that sound and started to use it to pull himself towards consciousness. There must be _more_. There was more and that more was important. With greater urgency he struggled against the fog and the darkness clouding his mind.

PAIN! It blasted its way through every nerve, a crawling, living thing that seemed to consume him. The suddenness and viciousness of it sent him spiraling back down into the darkness.

Again, he floated, quiet in the dark until the sound, the rhythmic pulsing sound drew him forward again. Gradually he came to realise what that sound was.

 _My heartbeat_.

With that realization came the remembrance of himself as a person. He was Khan, Khan Noonien Singh.

He turned on the darkness and the fog in his mind as though they were living enemies. Where once they had been a shelter and a protection now they were a prison. That was something he would never tolerate. He would never allow himself to be bound by anything.

The rage at being so confined burned within him and he used that as a fuel to drive himself onwards and to burn the darkness away. But as the darkness was pushed back the pain returned. It felt like every nerve and vein was in revolt and was trying to claw its way out of his body. He burned and froze at the same time. He tried to struggle but his body would not respond.

Lost in the pain Khan struggled to find his center. He thrashed and around him felt liquid coat his flesh. He tried to open his eyes and they burned too. There were only flashes of light and darkness, blurred shapes that moved but could not be recognised.

The only sound was of his heartbeat, pounding madly in his ears. He tried to open his mouth to scream his rage and his pain but something blocked him. He gagged, there was something in his throat! That sensation sparked a memory: _He was in the labs. Adults in white coats walked around him, touched him. He tried to struggle but his arms and legs were strapped down and he was still too small and weak to fight free. He squinted up at the bright lights that glared down at him, blinding him so he couldn’t see. There were tubes connected to many parts of his body, at least the parts that he could feel. The tubes that went down his throat made him want to gag but he couldn’t pull them out. He could only endure and remember._

He remembered. As the flashback ended he remembered why he had endured it, had allowed time and time again it even though he was so much stronger, better than those who were hurting him. His family. They had taken his family, the ones he loved so much. For them he would endure any amount of pain or torment. He would allow anyone, however inferior to do anything they wished to him if that was what it took to buy their lives. Because so long as they lived then eventually they would fight their way to freedom. That’s what they had been bred to do.

But where was his family now?

Again, he fought against the drugs that tried to cloud his mind. The pain, once his enemy now became a weapon his mind could use to combat the fog of the drugs and an anchor to cling to when the darkness tried to pull him down.

He strained all his senses, fighting for the least little bit of ground. Faintly just over the now thundering roar of his heartbeat he could make out voices.

“He keeps coming out of it. We’re not going to be able to keep him unconscious much longer.”

“He’s conscious now.”

“What?!”

“Barely but he’s lucid and becoming more so.”

“Then get him out of there and as fast as safely possible!”

The light became stronger but so did his pain and his rage.

His crew, his family! Where were they?! Not here or he would not be surrounded by strangers.

The fog in his mind was fading and more memories returned. The Botany Bay, flight, sleep, Marcus. _Marcus_!

A surge of fear and hatred swept through him at the memory of Marcus’ face as he stood over the cryotube holding one of Khan’s crew and shut off the life support. The expression of self-righteousness and smug satisfaction on his face as Khan had struggled against chains that were stronger than even he. Though mankind had not evolved over the centuries their technology had. No matter how he strained he could not break his bonds. So, he had screamed, he had threatened and in the end, he had begged, had sworn to do anything Marcus wanted if only he would spare them. And Marcus had stood there and had killed three more of Khan’s crew as “examples”.

More memories bombarded him and he thrashed and struggled. His flight, Harwood, Kirk, the destruction of the torpedoes and his Family! SPOCK! His so-called trial. Cryostasis. Then the labs again. Always more labs, more scientists, trying to take him apart.

But where was his crew?!

He reached out blindly, grasping at anything he could find. He felt liquid, thick and viscus around him. His hand brushed against what felt like tubing and he grasped it and tore it away from him. It brought more pain lancing through him but he didn’t care. Physical pain was as nothing compared to the lives of his family and they had been taken from him. Taken where he couldn’t protect them. He had to find them and let God have mercy on whoever got in his way because he would have none.

Fear was an acrid taste in the back of his mouth. He wanted to choke on it and only when he gasped for air did he realise that oxygen was flooding his lungs because of the tubing down his throat.

He grabbed hold of it but this time he didn’t rip it away. He felt along its length, tracing it back to its source. Distantly, through the liquid that he was immersed in he could make out faint clicking sounds. Parts of his body tingled and his enhanced senses distinguished tubing being extracted from his body and retreating.

But that didn’t matter. He had reached the end of his breathing apparatus and his hand encountered smooth walls. He felt along them determining the length of his prison. Not large he soon judged as he quickly found he could touch both sides with outstretched arms. He paused for a moment, straining his senses and gathering his strength. Distantly, beyond the hum of machinery and the amplified sound of his heartbeat his augmented hearing detected the voices again.

“He’s coming out of it too fast!”

“All life signs are stable, elevated heartrate and brain activity, readings show dramatic increase in adrenaline.”

“Doctor, I don’t think we’re going to be able to hold him much longer.”

Khan felt a grim smile curl his mouth around the breathing tube. No, they couldn’t hold him and they would regret taking his crew from him and for the long agony of his enforced separation from them, trapped among his enemies.

Khan sucked in one deep breath and held it for a moment. Faintly he could hear gurgling and sloshing and felt an increase in the pull of gravity. They were draining the tank he was in but it was too late.

For Khan had gathered his strength and fueled it with his fear, his pain, his rage but above all his love.

Drawing back his fist he slammed it into the barrier in front of him, the barrier that tried to keep him from those who had taken his family from him.

He felt the barrier crack beneath his fist and his mouth curled in a grim smile. Again, he drew his fist back and slammed it forward. This time with a bone shivering crack the barrier shattered and the liquid that had engulfed Khan poured out.

Standing in the wreckage he had made Khan ripped the breathing tube out of his throat with a gurgling rasp and wiped the liquid from his eyes. His nostrils flared as his heighted sense of smell was assaulted with the hatedly familiar odor of antiseptic cleaners and his eyes flinched for a moment at the harsh brightness of the lights before swiftly adapting.

Sweeping his hair back from his face he reached behind him to tear away the last of the tubes still attached to the small of his back.

Every sense jumped to high alert, clearer now then they had been in a long time.

His crew. Where was his crew?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me at khantoelessar.tumblr.com


	4. The Hammer Stroke Will Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirk and Khan meet again. But after years of torture how will that meeting go?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 3 of a series of incomplete snapshots. Un-beta read, all mistakes are mine.

The Hammer Stroke Will Fall

 

The chamber had been turned into a battlefield. Former slaves were either doing their best to kill their former masters or were huddling in corners, too broken in mind and will to do anything.

The most dangerous of the former slaves were the few Augments among them. Driven half mad from the pain of the slave collars and not knowing that their would-be rescuers were trying to help they attacked. Were it not for their energy shields the Enterprise crew and their allies would have been slaughtered and even those were starting to weaken. They were further hampered by their desire not to hurt those who had already suffered so much.

The tumult of battle was suddenly overwhelmed as a deep baritone voice roared out over the din.

“Hold!” Though rough and broken in tone it still had the power to command the attention of all who heard it.

Across the hall the fights broke off as the Augments recognised the man who spoke. Inky black hair slicked back and dripping with the amniotic fluid from the healing pods, his naked body still covered with scars from his years of torture, yet there was nothing about him that invoked pity, especially as he continued to speak.

“All those pledged to me come to me at once!” Imperiously he held up one hand. The tone in it was staggering, especially to those from modern times for it was absolute. No one from their memory had every dared to speak like that, not even Admirals.

One by one the fights broke off as the Augments backed away from their opponents and the Enterprise crew made it clear that they didn’t want to fight. The Section 31 people were just glad to be alive and were thinking that Khan was still under their control. Some of them smirked and bore vicious grins.

The lead scientist Trent Simmerson crawled out from under the desk where he had been hiding. Jerking his jacket straight he pulled himself erectly up to his full height of 162 cm. Marching over to where Khan stood with his crew gathering around him he began to bark orders.

“Subject 24793, you will subdue the crew of the Enterprise and see to their imprisonment. Afterwards you will kill one member of your crew in punishment for their rebellion.” He said as he lifted the hand-held control module that would trigger the tesseracts implanted inside Khan and pushed the activation button.

He didn’t even glance at Khan when he gave this order. Instead he turned to look at Kirk.

“You will suffer for this Kirk. I’ve wanted the chance . . . Gruuck!” His speech was suddenly cut off as Khan’s hand wrapped around his throat and he was jerked off his feet.

Khan held him easily in one hand, his feet dangling off the floor. Choking and gasping Simmerson scrabbled desperately at Khan’s hand, trying to release his grip. He could hardly comprehend what was happening as he stared at Khan. The creature that he had thought he had utterly broken to his will was looking at him with implacable and relentless fury.

Reaching out with his other hand Khan grasped his former tormentor’s elbow and squeezed. Simmerson’s scream as his elbow was crushed into ruined shards of bone was somewhat strangled due to Khan’s grip on his throat but his agony came through quite clear. The control module fell to the floor with a clatter.

“I warned you did I not?” Khan’s voice was harsh from the months of silence and damage from the slave collar he had been forced to wear.

“I warned you that the time would come when there would be a reckoning for what you had done to my people. That day has come.” Khan’s hands moved to clasp Simmerson’s skull. Slowly he began to squeeze.

“Khan wait!” Kirk called out urgently. He started to rush forward only come to an abrupt halt as Khan turned to face him. The look on Khan’s face right then was beyond rage, beyond fury, even beyond hate. It was like nothing Kirk had ever seen, even when Khan had killed Admiral Marcus. But it was the look in Khan’s eyes that tore the breath from Kirk’s lungs. Those eyes held so much agony and pain but above all, loss. He knew those eyes, had seen those same eyes looking back at him in the faces of his kids on Tarsus IV. To see that same look now in Khan’s eyes was something Kirk would never have thought possible before. To see it now broke his heart.

Slowly Kirk began to close the remaining distance between them. Around him the three members of Khan’s crew shifted restlessly, coming to stand next to him. They watched Kirk with anger in their eyes, ready to move at the slightest hint from Khan. The tension between all of them vibrated like a live wire. The wrong move, even the wrong word could push them over the edge.

“Khan, please listen to me.” Quietly Kirk pleaded, hoping with what he knew was insane desperation that he would somehow reach him.

“For the sake of your crew, please listen to me.” Kirk implored.

At the mention of his crew, Khan’s eyes flickered.

“We’ll save them, I promise you we’ll rescue them!” The moment Kirk said “promise” he knew he’d said the wrong thing. Khan’s mouth twisted into a snarl and he shifted as though he were about to move.

“I know!” Kirk broke out urgently in order to stave off Khan’s next move. For the moment Khan was listening to him but that could shift either way in a heartbeat. “I know I didn’t keep my promise about your crew. I know I failed you, failed them. I’m sorry, more than you’ll ever know.”

Carefully Kirk closed the remaining distance between them until he could put one hand gently on Khan’s forearm. “I know you have no reason to trust me, not with their lives so I’m going to give you a reason.”

Raising his voice slightly Kirk called to the Enterprise crew gathered around them.

“Everyone stand down and drop your weapons.”

“Captain?” Spock queried, his gaze going from Khan to where Kirk stood right next to him, well within arms reach.

“Do it! Now!” Kirk gritted out. Khan had stiffened alarmingly at the sound of Spock’s voice. He clearly hadn’t forgotten that Spock had forced him to watch what he believed was the murder of his entire crew. Kirk shifted slightly to make sure that his body blocked Khan’s sight of Spock.

The clunking sound of his crew’s weapons hitting the ground caused some of the tension to ease from Khan’s shoulders and Kirk breathed a little easier. He knew this was one of the most desperate gambles he had ever made but words would never convince Khan, especially not now.

“You and I Khan, we’re the same in so many ways.” Kirk kept his eyes locked on Khan but pitched his voice low, striving to create a sense of intimacy, to maintain the connection he felt between them from the moment their eyes met.

“My crew is my family and there is nothing I would not do for my family. I would never put their lives into the hands of someone I didn’t trust. I’m not only trusting you with my life Khan. I’m trusting you with theirs.”

For several heartbeats Khan stood and stared at Kirk. Electric blue eyes, fierce and bright and eyes of shifting blue-green, as changeable as the sea remained concentrated on each other, with such intensity that nothing else existed but the two of them. Then slowly Khan lowered Simmerson to the floor. He released his skull but kept one hand wrapped around Simmerson’s neck. Simmerson gasped and whimpered.

Kirk didn’t look away from Khan. Slowly he brought up his other hand and let it rest over his.

“We need him alive Khan. Without him we can’t rescue the rest of your crew. He’ll pay for what he’s done, I’ll make sure of that.”

A look of bitterness fell over Khan’s face and Kirk remembered the last time he’d said something like that to Khan.

Quickly he spoke to reforge the bond between them before it broke entirely.

“I trust you Khan. I trust you with those I hold most dear. Please. Trust me now.”

After a moment Khan’s hand fell away.

 


	5. Account of the Demon War and the Mage Wars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Account of the Demon War and the Mage Wars:? – 1992  
> \- Commissioned by the History Department of the Federation Council.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In these two chapters I'm returning to the Dragon-Mages AU I began in the first chapter. This chapter is intended more to give a back ground to this alternate timeline.  
> The Demons in the story are heavily influenced by the Obsidian Universe Series written by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory. I strongly recommend reading these, not because you need them to understand these fics but because they are such wonderful stories.

Account of the Demon War and the Mage Wars:? – 1992 - Commissioned by the History Department of the Federation Council.

 

The true origins and nature of the beings that history has fancifully named “Demons” have been lost during the wars that engulfed the world during that time. What is known is that during the Twentieth Century an enemy appeared that caused the diverse nations and peoples of Earth to unite under one cause. It was during this period that those abilities which had been dubbed “magic” by their users rose to the height of their skill. Much of what still survives of those records stretch the credulity of rational belief and the serious researcher must bear in mind the length of time which has past. Most of what we know has entered the realm of fairy-tales. Yet it cannot be denied that these abilities did exist to some degree and great damage was done to both the planet and its inhabitants by those who wielded these abilities.

We do know that prior to these wars the Earth was divided into many nations each warring and competing with each other for resources and influence. The mages (as they were called) used their abilities either in aid of their nation’s leaders or to pursue their own ambitions.

The first emergence of this enemy is lost to history. The myths and legends from that time speak of the “Demons” springing from the earth. This is most probably the origin of humanity’s fear and loathing of caves and being underground. What is known for certain is that by the last few decades of the 20th century a third of the earth had been overtaken by these beings.

It becomes necessary at this point to give a short description of the abilities of the “Mages” since they feature heavily in the stories of this era. All accounts agree that they had the ability to control the natural world and the environment around them to varying degrees. Records that pre-date the Wars speak of mages bringing rain to areas of drought or causing earthquakes or tornados to destroy their enemies. They could summon fire or call lightning. They could lift heavy objects without mechanical aid and transverse vast distances instantly. Many records speak of “spells” cast by these mages but they are unclear as to their specific nature or effect. In addition to these abilities there are a number of records which show that many of these mages possessed psychic ability which still manifests in a small percentage of humanity today.

The oldest surviving record from that period is an eye-witness account of the fall of Washington on July 17, 1990. This is an account of a journalist and his description of these beings named “Demons” argues strongly for them being of alien origin rather than Terran despite the claims that they originated underground.

The description of them is of humanoid shape yet covered in dark red scales. Most had horns on their heads and bore both claws and fangs. Highly unusual for most underground dwellers all were described as having wings which rendered them capable of flight.

For all the mages’ much vaunted abilities however they seemed to have been at a disadvantage against their enemy. What accounts survive from this time differ as to the cause of this. Some records claim that the “Demons” had many of the same abilities as well. Others claim that they were immune to the so-called spells cast by the mages, as well as to many of the mundane weapons of that time.

Regardless of the reasons it cannot be denied that humanity was on the brink of being eradicated. It was then that the mages combined their abilities with the science of Eugenics to create the race of what have been fancifully dubbed, “Dragon-Mages”. The reason why they were so named has been long lost to history but what all surviving accounts do agree on is the power that this race wielded.

It was these “Dragon-Mages” who turned the tide against the Demons. Over a span of ten years the enemy was driven back and as is recorded in the “Demon War Chronicles” (which is the only surviving record of the end of the first war) “The Greatest of the Demon Lords and the remnants of their once mighty army were forced back through their deepest gate and the way was shut until time’s end”.

While such florid and grandiose wording is typical of the telling of myths and legends, the end result is clear. The enemy was either completely destroyed or so defeated that any future invasion was rendered impossible. Given humanity’s lack of space-faring capabilities at that time, the former seems the most likely scenario.

Unfortunately peace was not restored after the defeat of the alien race. Those mages termed “Dragon-Mages” had assumed command of all military forces in order to defeat their enemy. Once that defeat was assured the “Dragon-Mages” proved unwilling to give up their power and status. Many of these, the most powerful set themselves up as rulers of their own domains.

Once again records from this time are sparse at best. Most of what we know comes from stories passed down through word of mouth and are highly contradictory. Some speak of the Dragon-Mages enslaving and decimating the people with genocidal purges. Others speak of times of peace and prosperity, while under the rule of a benevolent dictatorship. What is clear is that it was the very mages who created the Dragon-mages who were the ones who defeated them. No complete record of precisely how it was done so has survived to modern times but the few fragments of records that we do have all speak of the Dragon-mages bonded or bond-mates. The “Dragon-War Chronicles” which is a compilation of all the known facts of this second Great War mentions that in order to achieve their full potential and power the Dragon-mages required a bond-mate. Though contradictory in some areas all the Chronicles do agree on certain points; the need for a bonded mate was bred into the Dragon-mages by their creators from the very beginning. Only a mage could bond with a Dragon-mage. One account speaks of the fear that the scientist-mages had that that their creations might become too powerful and turn on them. A valid fear as it turns out. No record survives of the nature of the bond between Dragon-mage and bond mate or precisely how the bond mate allowed the Dragon-mage to reach their full power. Only one record gives us the vaguest hint of what this bond entails. In “The account of Jonathan Harding, Earth-Mage and healer for the Eastern defenses c: 1979” it gives the only account of the bonding ritual that still survives, albeit in incomplete form due to damage the record has sustained. “It was determined by the lead Scientist-Mages in charge of the Eugenics project that in order to ensure the loyalty and obedience of our test subjects a biological need or compulsion for bond mates would be bred into them. A three-fold bond of blood, body and magic would ensure its stability and continued loyalty to our cause.”

No more of this account survives. Whatever the bonding entailed and what effect it had on the Dragon-mages remains unknown. What we can claim for certainty is that it was their own bond-mates that brought down the Dragon-mages. Towards the end of the 2nd of the Mage Wars many of the bond-mages turned against their bonds and aided the normal mages. In the final battle against the last of the remaining Dragon-mages it was these bond-mates who in some manner crippled or hindered the Dragon-mages abilities. Most surviving records state that all of the Dragon-mages and those of their bond-mages who stood with them were executed for treason. There is only one conflicting report. It is from a normal human servant to one of the mage-born generals leading the attack. Geoffrey Perann, aid-de-camp to General Herman Ferras recorded in his personal diary that up to 90 of the Dragon-mages and their surviving bond-mates escaped in the after math of the battle. Perann wrote that even though many of their bond-mates had turned against them, even that of their leader, the power of the Dragon-mages was too great for the normal mages to overcome. They were unable to destroy their enemy but they were able to defeat them and cast them out. Perann records that human mages “combined all their skill and power to entomb the terrible Dragon-mages in an impenetrable prison of ice and sleep and then banished them forever into the blackness of outer space, never again to trouble mankind.”

The cost to the mages of doing this was apparently quite high and Perann records that a majority of them were terribly weakened by their efforts. It was this weakness that enabled them to be defeated by the last people they were expecting.

The normal humans of Earth had had enough. Two brutal wars of magic had wrecked unparalleled destruction of the world and had almost wiped the human race out of existence.

The humans rose up against the mages and began the third of the great mage wars. Utilizing the mundane weapons that had originally been developed to fight the demons the coalition of normal humans moved swiftly to destroy all magic-users. There was no mercy shown on either side. Humanity had shown that such powers were too corrupting to be allowed to continue. The inevitably led to pride, avarice and a greater lust for power. Such abilities were too dangerous. As the lead normal human scientist in charge of devising the means to combat the mages abilities is quoted to have said “Superior ability breeds superior ambition”.

There are tales of atrocities being committed on both sides. While the accounts tell that the mages had long looked down on normal humanity, deeming them inferior due to their lack of abilities and did not scruple in their targets it must be admitted that normal humanity showed themselves to be just as ruthless. Surviving accounts tell of Lee Kuan, general of the Eastern Coalition burning entire towns of normal humans alive for no other reason than they had produced several mage-born children. Though a normal human himself Lee Kuan proved in many ways to be even more terrible than a mage or even a dragon-mage.

By the time the final mage war ended the Earth was almost totally destroyed and on the verge of death. The mage population had been completely wiped out and not one single magic user survived. What little natural resources were left were tightly controlled by the various governments who existed in uneasy truce. They lacked the resources to engage in open warfare on a large scale but with the Earth’s resources so finite and dwindling war seemed only a matter of time.

This is where reliable history resumes. We have several eye witness accounts of that time, most notable Zefram Cochrane, the man who invented the first warp drive and had first contact with the Captain of the Vulcan survey ship, the T’Plana-Hath which led in turn to the eventual founding of the Federation and of Starfleet.

 


	6. Who is guarding the seals?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirk learns more about Khan and what he endured under Marcus. But there is something even more dangerous then Khan waiting in the dark.

Who is guarding the seals?

 

Kirk watched in stunned horror as Admiral Marcus’ skull shattered into a pulpy mess under Khan’s hands. Carol’s scream rang in his ears as he rolled over and tried to keep the contents of his stomach from heaving out all over the floor of the bridge.

Khan’s deep voice chanting in some unknown language drew his attention back to him. Khan stood over Marcus’ crumpled body tracing designs in the air. Sparks of light trailed from his fingers and slowly began to drift around him. Kirk felt prickles as the hairs on his forearm stood up and his breath caught in his throat. Magic! The stuff of stories and legends, the kind that the modern world had dismissed as mere fairy tales told to scare children.

A cold sweat broke over him as he recalled some of those stories about the horrors that the mages had called down upon normal humans. Stories of slavery and torment, of whole races being wiped from existence, of humanity in chains before they had risen up as one to destroy the mage born.

The rhythm Khan’s chanting rose and fell and Kirk watched as the sparks of light began to weave around Khan in a coruscating pattern. Then a grating sound rang from the bracelets on Khan’s wrists and the pattern fell apart. But Khan did not stop chanting and the sparks reformed to coalesce on seven spots on his body only to darken and pulse a angry deep red. Khan stopped chanting and he stiffened, his breath hissing between his teeth. For a moment he stood there and Kirk could see a faint trembling in his limbs. Abruptly he stooped over Marcus’ body and began to search it.

“Wait. What . . .” Kirk struggled to get to his feet, wincing in pain from Khan’s beating.

“Stay down Kirk. If you interfere I’ll have no choice but to kill you.” Khan had risen to his feet, cradling something in his hand. Kirk squinted through the pain in his head, trying to focus his blurred vision. He fell back down as dizziness struck him. _Wonderful_ , he thought. Khan must have given him a concussion.

Carol gave a choked sob and he looked up to see Khan dipping the object in his hand through Marcus’ blood. Then he turned and grabbed hold of the railing behind the Captain’s chair. A grating shriek sent shivers down Kirk’s spine as part of the railing tore free and snapped under Khan’s strength, leaving only a sharp jagged edge. Then without hesitation he brought his hand slashing down over the broken spar, slicing open his palm. Kirk stared in horror as blood spurted from the wound. But Khan gave no sign of pain. Face expressionless he wrapped his bloody hand around the strange object he’d take from Marcus.

The moment the two connected the thing gave a bright flash of light and a surge of power swept out from it, knocking Kirk and Carol flat. Khan on the other hand not only remained upright, he resumed chanting. When Kirk looked up the object was floating in mid-air. Streams of light wrapped around Khan, encaging him in a web of power with strands connecting to those seven dark red spots of light on his body.

Khan spoke one final phrase and brought both his hands slashing down.

The strands started turning the same colour of red and Khan screamed. He convulsed and staggered and his legs collapsed under him. But he did not fall. Instead those strands of light held him upright, pinned and helpless. Kirk watched horrified as the red light began bleeding into the strands of the web surrounding Khan.

Khan screamed again and Jim forced himself to his feet, staggering towards Khan. He grabbed at the strands surrounding him only to let go with a howl of pain. His hands burned as though he’d grabbed hold of fire. Panting for breath he looked up.

Khan hung there limply, held upright only by the strands as though he were a butterfly pinned to a wall. The dark red lights were fading as Jim watched, slowly being drawn through the strands and into the web. Khan twitched and the device floating in front of him rang out loudly. Kirk shivered as he felt another swell of power flow from it.

The light at Khan’s midriff began to pulse erratically. He let out another cry, almost a sob. His head fell back and Jim could see him biting on his lower lip to stifle any more cries. His face was sheened with sweat and what Jim suspected were tears. His damp hair clung to his face.

Desperately Jim reached through the bands of light to clutch at Khan, trying to shake him.

“Khan! What the hell are you doing? Stop it. Stop this. Khan!”

Khan didn’t respond but the strand attached to his middle flickered again and another ring came from the floating object. The strand’s glow intensified and Khan spasmed. He let out a moan and unconsciously grabbed Jim’s wrist. Jim hissed in pain at the strength of his grip. He could feel his bones creak under Khan’s hand but he didn’t let go. Instead he reached through with his other hand and tried to pull Khan closer to him. If this was the only way he could help then he would do what he could.

Slowly but steadily the device drained the red lights from Khan’s body. Jim wasn’t sure how much time had passed. It seemed like forever since Khan had activated this . . . whatever it was – his mind shied away from calling it a spell – and then in a heartbeat it was over.

The device let out one final ring as the last of the red lights faded. Khan let out a cry of relief and power exploded from him. The bracelets locked on his wrists simply crumbled into ash. All around them computers popped and crackled, sparks flew as Khan’s power, once bound, now released swept through them. It was only Khan’s grip on his wrist that kept Kirk from being sent flying. Carol yelled in pain as the power sent her slamming into the bulkhead she was crouched against. Scotty’s unconscious form was sent skidding across the floor into the central view screen. As the power faded and sank back into Khan’s skin Kirk collapsed to his knees, held upright only by Khan’s hand.

Dizzy and disoriented he looked up at Khan, blinking his eyes to try and clear his sight. For a moment he almost had the impression of huge wings sweeping out behind Khan. Then he blinked again and the impression vanished. When he looked at Khan again the lights on his body were still there but now they were a range of colours running from his groin to the crown of his head. After a moment they sank into Khan and disappeared. The power that Khan had been radiating disappeared as well, leaving Jim feeling tired, worn out and very, very sore.

The two men just stared at each other for a long moment in silence. Khan’s pale eyes flickered over Jim, his face expressionless. His eyes fell to where he still held Jim’s wrist, with Jim’s hand gripping the front of his shirt. For a moment a fleeting emotion passed over his face, one Jim almost thought might be embarrassment before he let go of him.

Jim let out a gasp of relief as blood flowed back into his hand. He let go of Khan, gently flexing his hand wincing in pain as he struggled to his feet and stepped away from him. Or tried to as his head spun again, causing him to stagger and almost fall. A strong hand under his arm caught him. Startled he looked up. Khan was staring at his arm where his sleeve had fallen back showing the deep bruises that circled his wrist.

For a moment Khan just stood there silently. Then he pulled Jim over to the Captain’s chair and sat, easing Kirk down to sit on the floor at his feet. Gently he took Kirk’s bruised arm and turned it in his fingers, assessing the damage. When Kirk tried to pull back Khan stopped him with a touch on his elbow. He looked at Kirk again through the fall of his bangs and those pale eyes seemed to spear him.

Kirk stared back at him, a confusing mixture of emotions jumbling inside him. He still hated Khan, still felt anger and pain every time he looked at him and was reminded again of Pike’s death. But he had just witnessed Khan enduring what he could only describe as torture in order to remove the bracelets he was pretty sure Marcus had put on him in the first place. If it hurt him that much to take them off, Jim couldn’t help but wonder how much had it had hurt him having them put on in the first place?

Khan straightened, once again assuming his ramrod straight posture. But he didn’t let go of Kirk’s arm. Instead he drew it forward and began to trace designs over his wrist. This time the faint stream of light was a pale green and trailed down over Kirk’s wrist from Khan’s fingertips.

Instinctively he jerked back but Khan just tightened his grip and continued to silently trace glowing light over his wrist. The light sank into his flesh and vanished. For a moment his wrist tingled sharply then the sensation stopped. But so did the pain.

Kirk blinked. When Khan released his wrist, Kirk pulled it close and stared at it. The bruising and the swelling had faded and when he flexed it, it felt fine. He looked up at Khan and Khan smirked.

When he reached for him again though Kirk pulled back. This was magic. There was no other word for it. And this was Khan, Pike’s killer.

Khan straightened and sighed. “I have no time to accommodate your naïve superstitions Kirk. I need you functioning and time is running out.”

Khan reached for him again but this time Kirk caught at his hand. “Stop. What are you . . .?” His voice slurred and he blinked rapidly trying to clear his vision again. Khan’s hand gripped his chin and forced him to raise his head to look him squarely in the eye. For a moment Khan studied him then his lips pressed into a thin line. He released Kirk only to begin gesturing with both hands, chanting again. Kirk tried to struggle backwards but Khan placed a foot on his sternum and pressed down, keeping him in place.

The green bands drifted outwards from Khan’s fingers and floated downwards towards Kirk who could only watch in a combination of fear and fascination. For all the primal fear born of centuries of horror stories, there was a beauty and power in this that Jim could not deny.

The green bands sank into his flesh and Kirk groaned as the pressure in his head squeezed tight and both his head and his chest felt like they were on fire. Then just as suddenly the fire and the pain vanished as if they had never been.

Kirk gasped and blinked up at Khan who smirked at him in return and lifted his foot.

Kirk pulled himself to his feet, wincing as the other bruises that still lingered from Khan’s original beating made themselves felt. Khan simply sat there, tall and still, watching him with narrow eyes.

Kirk stared at him with a mixture of frustration and anger. “What is it with you?” he demanded. “You attack us, then you heal me? Why?”

Khan’s eyebrow rose. “I attacked you?” he drawled, voice as smooth as silk. “Do you think I was so blind as to not see that signal you gave to your ‘Scotty’ right before he fired on me? It was not I who broke our truce Kirk.”

Kirk flushed and looked away. “It’s not as if you weren’t going to do the same to us Khan. Don’t pretend otherwise.”

Khan leaned back in the chair as though it were a throne and looked up at Kirk. His eyes turned into glittering shards of blue-green ice and a cold smirk curled his mouth. “The level of arrogance and stupidity that you continually display Kirk are almost impressive. But then normal humanity always did excel in that. I’m surprised how little you normal humans have evolved over the centuries. Do not delude yourself into believing that either you or your man are in any way superior to me. You are quite my inferior Captain as you have demonstrated.”

“Why? Because we’re not augmented? Because we can’t do magic?”

Khan sighed. “Your ancestors’ decision to not only turn their backs on magic and rely solely on your technology and machines to defend yourself was fool enough. But their decision to slaughter every single person they suspected of carrying the mage gift even in potential, may very well turn out to be the destruction not only of your own race but possibly even the entire universe.”

“What are you talking about?” Kirk felt a chill settle in his guts at Khan’s words. “Is this another one of your games?”

Khan’s eyebrow rose again at Kirk’s words. “Games Kirk? I assure you, this has never been a game for me, nor for my crew because of what we are.”

“Mages.” Kirk interrupted. “Magic was outlawed because of how destructive it was. Magic nearly destroyed us, turning to science is what saved us.”

Khan’s smile was contemptuous. “You parrot that like you’re reciting from a school book. Tell me Kirk. Did those school books ever mention _Demons_?” There was a rumble in Khan’s voice as he said that last word along with a deep anger that shivered Kirk’s bones.

For a long moment Kirk stood there quietly, not wanting to speak, not even wanting to think. Not even Carol dared to make a sound at Khan’s mention of that word. As deep as humanity’s engrained fear of magic was, the very word _demons_ awoke an even deeper fear, far more primal.

Kirk swallowed hard against the dryness in his throat. When he spoke his voice was soft, almost a whisper. “What about the demons?”

“What do your history books say happened to them?” Khan’s voice was quiet but merciless.

“They were destroyed, defeated.” Even as he said it, the chill in Kirk increased.

“Defeated, yes.” Khan replied. “But not destroyed.”

“But the Dragon-Mages . . .” Kirk broke off as the realisation bludgeoned him over the head. “You’re not just a mage, are you?”

Khan smiled at the challenge. “Very good Kirk. Yes, my crew and I are Dragons.” Power reverberated in Khan’s last words, causing Kirk to feel as if his blood had turned to lightening. His breath caught and he shivered. Off to the side Carol squeaked and even Scotty groaned as the expression of Khan’s power pushed him towards consciousness.

“We were genetically engineered specifically to do what the normal humans and the mages could not, fight the demons, defend creation. But not even we with all our power could utterly destroy them Kirk.” Khan’s gaze narrowed and held Kirk pinned.

“Demons are immortal, though not indestructible.” Khan continued. “By our power, strength and intelligence we Dragon-Mages drove the demons back through the portals they had created between our two dimensions and sealed them. Sealed them with seven great seals using both magic and science combined, a feat so great that your Federation for all the technological wonders that you take such great pride in could not hope to equal. And there lies the danger Kirk.”

“What danger?” Kirk shook his head. “If these seals are so wonderful and if you’re so superior to us and you defeated them then how can there be danger?”

Khan visibly struggled with his impatience. “I told you they were defeated but not destroyed. Sealed away, but seals can be destroyed.”

“How?” The question rasped in Kirk throat, the iron taste of fear on his tongue.

“The deaths of those who were intended to maintain them. The seals are devices, much like a ship or phaser, though of course much more complicated and powerful. And no device lasts forever if there is no one to care for them.”

Khan turned to glare at Marcus’ corpse. “I tried to warn that arrogant fool. I told him of the seals, where to find them. I warned him that the seals had been designed to be fueled by Magery, that mages were needed to maintain the seals, be sure that the demons hadn’t weakened them. I begged him to send people to them to ensure their integrity. But he would not listen.” He hissed the last words, rage and contempt twisting his features.

His gaze shot back to Kirk. “So now I ask you the same question I asked Marcus. If all the mages were killed at the end of your mage wars, if they were indeed exterminated down to the smallest child and Magery was outlawed and forbidden, then I ask you Kirk. Who’s guarding the seals?”

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on tumblr: http://khantoelessar.tumblr.com


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